Two vs fifteen (I)

Mayor Clacius stood at the gates of Rouk City with a large smile as he waved the military truck leaving. There was a poisonous contempt on that smile, but there was also genuine happiness.

After wandering around the armory for almost ten minutes, spending a few hours searching the city, and going through witness statements, Cain and Levi decided to give up and leave.

Of course, Mayor Clacius kept his facade of a fearful civil servant and accompanied the duo to the exit.

'Hahaha, fucking brats. You came waving your background, yet leave with your tail between your legs.'

Cain and Levi had no idea what Clacius was thinking, although they could get an idea. But, none of them cared as they readied themselves inside the military truck.

Once Cain and Levi were beyond the scope of Rouk City's surveillance, the duo jumped out of the moving vehicle and into the forest. The military truck was racing at almost 400km/h. Still, they landed without problem beneath the cover of the trees.

Cain had found the criminals' scent and could easily track them, but if he hinted that he had a way to solve the crime, there was no way to say what Clacius would do. That is why he and Levi performed that small show before leaving.

Even after the duo jumped out, the military truck kept advancing. Neither Levi nor Cain knew of the reach Clacius had. While he couldn't influence the Collapsing Lightning Military Academy, there was the chance Rouk City's mayor could get intel on the vehicle's coordinates.

Due to the central server of the Lightning Imperial Fort storing the military truck's data, not even Cain could hack it. That is why they would let it move on its own and only call it back after they finish the mission.

Cain and Levi did not waste a moment before marching back to Rouk City, now under the camouflage of the forest. They moved at a shocking speed, easily surpassing the 100 km/h. They could move much faster if they wanted, but they would grow exhausted.

In the Old World, the fastest human alive could reach a speed of approximately 50 km/h. Levi and Cain were Level 2 Astral Wave Warriors, and even without their Wave Cloak, they were more than six times faster.

Cain stopped just as the duo was about two-thirds of the way back to Rouk City. His helmet vanished, and a focused expression appeared on his face.

"What is happening?" Levi knew they needed to return to Rouk City's edge so Cain could pick up the criminals' scent and, from there, make their way into their camp.

"It seems that luck has finally favored us. I picked up the scent. It seems that garbage is not too far away from here."

Levi smiled as he heard that, and then under Cain's guidance, the duo headed west for around a couple of hours. It was night by the time they approached a cave by the side of a large mountain.

The duo stared at each other and nodded before making their best effort to hide their presence and slowly made their way into the cave's vicinity.

It was almost half an hour before Cain and Levi returned to their previous position. Not wasting time, the duo shared the information they collected.

"What did you find?" Levi could see that Cain's eyes had a special glow, usually found in those with night vision, so he wanted to know his assessment first.

"There are a total of fifteen criminals. All of them are Essence Wave Warriors. Eight at Level 1, five at Level 2, and two at Level 3. Almost all suffer from meridian atrophy, so their battle strength is mediocre. However, one Level 3 is fully capable and has no sign of meridian atrophy."

Cain spoke all of it calmly, but he saw the shock in Levi's face. Although he could have hidden that information, this was a life-and-death situation, and failure was unacceptable. Of course, there was no way he would reveal his secrets, and he had already thought of an explanation.

"I have a Wave Artifact that helps me measure people's cultivation and the density of their Wave."

Levi's eyes narrowed when he heard that. There are indeed Wave Artifacts with such functions, some even available in the Imperial Military Academy Network, but they were extremely expensive.

He knew that Cain was hiding something but did not dig in. Levi knew that Cain had already shown him enough trust by sharing that information.

"Ok. Facing them head-on is not a good idea. We are Astral Wave Warriors, and thanks to our Wave Artifacts, we could overwhelm them if we take them by surprise. It seems they are preparing to leave in a large cargo truck, which I assume has the stolen goods.

I will handle the two Level 3 Wave Warriors, and you will take care of the others. I propose we assault them while they are in motion. Taking advantage of the commotion, we strike fast and strong, neutralizing as many of them as possible in the shortest amount of time. What do you say?"

Although Cain would be fighting thirteen Wave Warriors and Levi only two, those at Levels 1 and 2 with atrophied meridians would be unable to overcome his armor's defenses as long as he kept Wave Burst active. On the other hand, the Level 3 Wave Warriors could do much damage, especially the one that is in peak condition.

Cain nodded without hesitation, and then the duo began focusing on their plan's details.